


Pesky Bee!

by Sandentwins



Series: The Weird Family in the Little House [2]
Category: Don't Hug Me I'm Scared (Short Film)
Genre: Forced Marriage, Gen, M/M, Religious Beliefs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-02
Updated: 2015-02-05
Packaged: 2018-02-23 20:17:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2554211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sandentwins/pseuds/Sandentwins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shrignold had never wanted his new friends to fight over whether he did betray the Concepts' secret or not. But as feelings get hurt and Puppets get confused in all of this chaos, Tony and Shrignold get offered the possibility to become humans again...<br/>And on top of that, the Lovebug still needs to find his special one within the month!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Concept of Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's say it takes place after A Time of Creation, with a huge reboot and all. I like stable timelines.  
> Originally a one-shot.

"And you will never be alone!"

Tony took his hands off his ears. What a pathetic, boring song it was! Yet the strange new Concept wouldn't stop bothering the house with it, especially Manny. Poor boy would be left afraid of insects for good.  
And Tony would _never_ let that happen. He was supposed to make them fear Time and its whereabouts, but now his role was spoiled by this pigeon!

"Ignore it.", Paige advised as Tony sat on his wall. "He will go away soon."

"-You already said that for the last two days. But nothing seems to scare this bee."

He sighed, watching as the blue bunny and the unicorn were hugging in their pillow fort. Since the bug first came to live with them, these muppets have been following him, bringing in strange flowers and buckets of gravel. They were already building a weird statue in the garden, under the orders of this short pigeon.  
He didn't seemed as harmful as Paige and himself, but under his cute blue eyes, he was a maniac as much as them. Maybe because he was still young, his Concept powers weren't very developed; even though he was defining himself as the "Concept of Love", he couldn't do much but grow flowers and draw hearts out of thin cloud.

"Still...", Paige asked, drawing on her dress. "Why don't we try to see what we can make out of this bird? That could be fun."

"-Come on. You know that whenever we get close to him, he starts pestering us about how we are each other's "special one"."

"-I'm not asking you to join his...love cult-like thing...just trying to be friends. You have heard the responsibles, we have to live together from now on."

She leaned towards him, grinning evily.

"And then we can start the murdering game."

That thought made Tony descend from his wall.

"What are we waiting for, then?", he said, drawing his needlesword.

Paige sharpened her pencils, and led the way to the garden, where the newcomers were building their head-shaped totem. The butterfly was nowhere to be seen.

"Still, quite lovely.", Paige noted.

Tony shrugged at the pink clouds of fluff, touching some flowers with his bare hand to make them wither.

"Hey look, it's the two new friends!~", the unicorn sang. "Let's hug them!"

In some seconds, Paige and Tony were nearly suffocating under all the fluff cuddling them.

"Heh, hello there...friends.", Paige smiled. "By any chance, have you seen your insectoid friend?"

"-You mean Shrignold?", the glasses man replied. "He must be out there, preaching for love and harmony."

Before anyone could add anything, an horrible splattering noise resonated near them. Manny, after having fallen from cloud heights, was merely recognizable, with many brain and guts spreaded around, in quite a creative-looking blood puddle. As everyone came to see it, a fluttering sound approached from above. Shrignold, known in the house as the Pesky Bee (credits to Robin), landed awkwardly in the drying blood.

"For the love of Malcolm, I told you love was giving wings!", he cried out. "Why didn't you listen?"

Most of the time, when not singing, he could be confused with any child, seeing his behavior. The blue skin and cape wings were almost the only visual clues about whether he was a Concept or not.

"Hang on.", Paige shrugged, seeing his distress.

A handful of her magic glitter, spreaded across the scene, and the yellow puppet was putting himself back together. Shrignold looked at the corpse, the blood flooding in reverse, the pieces of organ and flesh stitching altogether. Death was still foreign to him, as he'd never allow himself to kill anyone, and of course he hadn't got any Concept magic that could bring puppets back to life.  
"Thanks, Ms Notebook.", he sighed in relief, after Manny finally got up on his legs. "I...I was afraid I couldn't sing to him ever again."

"-It's not all about singing.", Tony cut. "You have to toughen up, buddy, if you want to stay here. It's not a playhouse, it's a permanent murder scene. Got it?"

The butterfly nodded, slightly afraid of the elder Concepts' potential.

"But...Becky and Joe said-"

"-Yes, the creators said things.", Paige replied. "But whether you are a part of our band or not is up to us. Did you know what Tony underwent to be accepted as my equal? If you want to stay, you have to learn. And that means put aside your fear of death."

Her stern face vanished into a warm smile.

"But in the meanwhile, how about we go fetch some chicken and have our own picnic?"

The Concepts and the muppets cheered at the thought.

"Hey Robin, can you come over for a second?", Tony called, taking his rapier. "We need you for our barbecue!"

Shrignold chuckled, thinking about the one who killed his children, roasted in the flames of Malcolm.  
Maybe killing people could be a proof of love, afterall.


	2. Chicken picnic and gravel

The tender flesh was melting in Shrignold's toothless mouth, revealing all of its flavor in a cloud of poultry-perfumed steam. Curiously, the butterfly didn't feel ashamed or bad when tasting the delicious meat. Eating any sort of animals was contrary to the cult of Love and Harmunee, but again, Robin wasn't just any animal.   
As the honey-glazed chicken legs travelled down to the bug's stomach, Tony cut off another piece of flesh from the agonizing bird. This guy had some really interesting recipes to share, gathered from all of his travels through the world. Right now, a spicey mash of vegetables was being forced down what was left of Robin's carcass, under the eyes of her friends.

"Won't you do something?", Benny the blue bunny asked.

"-What for?", Harry shrugged with a flat tone. "She's gonna be back soon. Nothing to rush for."

The rabbit didn't add anything, and went back to his drums while the duck was cooking in vegetable juice.  
Manny took a bite from a rotting apple. Even if seeing his friends die had become quite usual, he wouldn't dare eating them. That would be gross and impolite.   
Between two bites, Shrignold glanced at the blue-haired Puppet. He had been the first to accept the butterfly in the house, even when Paige and Tony were bullying the newcomer, even if Manny ended up splattered to pieces last time. That's the way every newcomer goes, just like love. Or Friendship. Shrignold hadn't been much taught about friendship, thus had a hard time befriending people who weren't bound to Malcolm as much as him. But Manny has been there from the start, helping the newbie to settle down. He was one of a kind, Shrignold thought. 

"Mister?", someone suddenly asked.

Shrignold turned his head around: Corny the unicorn, worried.

"You-know-who is needing you."

The butterfly swallowed hardly. That could only mean one thing: that time of the month had arrived.  
Putting back the chicken legs in the plate, Shrignold excused himself, and absconded from the picnic, unfolding his cape wings and taking off.  
The wings were a whole mechanic. Far from being any fancy cape, the colored fabric was attached to his arms by a ring on each of the butterfly's hands. The ornamented pans of felt were held in place by long, light rods sewn in the fabric, that the pigeon could hold in hands to modify the shape of his wings. By holding these rods up and folding the wings a certain way, the structure was taking the form of butterfly wings. But Shrignold, in an innate movement, grabbed the main stems and placed them as an extension of his arms; his wings now looked like a bird's, allowing him to fly faster and reach higher places. Once completely unfolded, his wingspan was reaching a breathtaking lenght, about twice his own size.   
All because of Concept magic.  
Soon he landed in The Country Where Everything Is Lovely, avoiding the clouds, following the gravel path. Hardy and Froggy were nowhere to be seen either, leaving him alone. Good.  
He grabbed a shovel, picked up some gravel from a pile, and let it fall in a dark hole in the wall. Suddenly, two eyes lit up of a holy light, and smoke escaped from the now moving mouth.

"My greetings, all powerful Malcolm. Did you...wanted to see-"

Shrignold!

The butterfly held a scream. The way Malcolm had to directly talk into others' mind was a real jumpscare.

"Yes...Master?"

You know why you are here. Now, report to Me.

The butterfly searched in his pocket, and found three photos. Pretty, pure, female butterflies, muppet-shaped or antropomorphic, they were meant for Shrignold to choose among them.   
He held the first photo, looking at the angelic smile.

"The three of them were really nice...but if I had to choose, it would be Juliet. She and I have lots of interests in common."

Very well.

"But..."

What now?! Your choice is done!

"But...I haven't felt the bond! I haven't...felt anything special at all. Please trust me, she...she's not meant for me."

Malcolm started to spit out smoke, angered by such felony. All of a sudden, a terrible, loud growl escaped from his mouth. Shrignold shivered in fear, hiding his face in his hood. The wrath of Malcolm was terrible, maybe because those who endured it weren't alive anymore to confirm it. The growl became louder, loud enough to make the butterfly's ears bleed. Shrignold found himself crying, scared by his lord's shouts. He curled himself in his wings, waiting for the deafening anger to pass. But only after an infinitely long time did Malcolm eventually calm down. The bug perked up his hairtennas, waiting for something to happen.

I only kept you among My followers because you were the best at preaching my words. But My patience has limits. If by the next moon, you haven't found your special one and married her, I will have to end you. 

Shrignold nodded, his whole body shivering. The flames extinguished by themselves, leaving only a faceless rock among pink clouds. The butterfly let himself fall down, flapping his wings at the last second to get back up.  
The deadline has been clear: he had to get married within the month.  
The question was, who could bring his heart to finally take this step?


	3. Two rules broken at once

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we get serious.

"Has anyone seen the baby pigeon? The movie's about to start."

"-He's probably playing outside."

From inside the houses, voices were heard. Shrignold, sadly sitting on the swing, ignored them. There would be a lot of movies in the future, that wasn't important.

"Seems like nothing has been set, once again.", he shrugged, swinging back and forth slightly. "I only have one month left to live."

He sighed, thinking about the many arranged dates he underwent. Indeed he had enjoyed the company of the butterfly ladies, their charms and sometimes even their lips. But something had felt wrong all along. And that detail, as unknown as it was, had stopped Shrignold from going any further. As for a forced marriage, well...that wasn't the solution either. The bond first needed to be felt. And it had never happened yet.  
From the house, laughs and movie sounds were heard. The Muppets were gone sleeping. No one would notice him, then.  
Leaving the swing, the butterfly grabbed his wingrods, and flew up to the clouds. Maybe that would put his mind at peace. He'd take some time away from his duty as the Leader of Malcolmism and the Concept of Love. He'd try to figure out what was wrong with himself...once again. Or he could just do something fun with his last weeks alive.  
Flying soon brought him above the human town. He saw the tiny lights coming from the houses, and heard the echo of distant voices. From this distance, they'd mistake him for a bird. That gave him an idea.  
Shrignold landed in a desert street, and pulled his hood on his hairtennas. In the weak orange light of the reverberes, his blue skin would pass as dark. As for his fancy wings, he put them on as a cape, to cover his weird clothing.  
Walking out, no one seemed to notice him among the few late wanderers. The nightly silence was only broken by a the sound of a horsecart, some discussions, or child voices. Still, Shrignold was scared. A funny kind of scared, that gave him the chills. With a quarter found on the roadside gutter, he bought an apple at a fruit stand, and ate it with a foreign excitation. Now that was what he needed, instead of his boring routine. But still, even if he was enjoying that game, there was still fear in his mind. The fear that someone may notice him, see he was a Concept...or even worse (and that wasn't funny anymore), that someone could actually recognize him. That made him think: who could, after all these years? He spent too much time away from town, and changed so much...he became a Concept, for Malcolm's sake! Yeah, that was right. There's no way anyone could-

"Hey, kid!"

Shrignold suddenly froze on the spot. Now that was scary.

"Yeah, you, with the hood. C'me here."

He tried to think about his possibilities. Maybe that person only wanted to know the time, or directions? There's no way he could be recognized. No way. No danger.  
Slowly, he turned his head around.

"Y...yes?"

When he first saw the woman's face, he thought he was dreaming. A dream of many, many years old. But no, she was here, talking to him. The same kerchief tied on her brown hair, the same black dress...and these angry eyes.  
His breath stopped.

"I'm sorry...I've mistaken you for someone else.", she said, disappointed. "But...for a moment, I was sure..."

Shrignold stepped away from her, shivering. 

"That's fine...I'm...new to town...I can't be anyone you know.", he stuttered, taking another step back. "I'm no one. Yes, no one."

The woman glanced at Shrignold's steps as he walked away, and her eyes widened. The butterfly hated to use his legs, especially among figures of the past. The woman muttered, smiling out of surprise.

"You're limping...? Hey, are you sure you're not-"

"-NO! You can't...you can't be right, no!"

On these words, Shrignold ran away, trying to escape this ghost of the past, but soon she got to his level.

"Wait! I just want to ask you something!"

"-Leave me alone!"

Everyone now had their heads out of their windows, looking at that strange pursuit. There was no escape of this situation...and worse, if she had recognized his past identity, then others could as well! Shrignold damned himself for what he was about to do, but there wasn't anything else left to do. He grabbed his wingrods, spreaded his wings out. The hood slipped off, revealing his hairtennas.

"He's a monster! He's one of them!", someone shouted.

There was no turning back. Shrignold flapped his wings, getting as high as possible, getting out of reach of the confused and scared people, and soon out of their sight. Their voices seemed to follow him for a long time, even after the shoutings ceased. Hidding on a cloud, trying to calm down his breath, he realized too late what he did.  
He had betrayed the secret of the Concepts. He had betrayed his own secret.  
And, worst of all, _she_ hadn't forgotten him at all.

\---

The movie was too much of boring. Seriously, who thought that adaptating _Don't Embrace Me, I'm Afraid_ into a movie was a good idea? Even if it was Paige and Tony's favorite, that much gore was repetitive.  
Manny opened the window, to let some fresh air in. His previous limbs were still rotting in a corner, but Saturday wasn't a cleaning day. Breathing in the night wind, he let out a sigh of contentment. Outside, the birds were flying away to the south. The weather was quite cold. An overall feeling of peace covered the scenery.  
Except for that one bird, flying in the wrong direction, that ended crashing right into the window.  
At first, Manny felt suddenly pushed back, then his head met the hard floor, although covered by a soft carpet. And then, Shrignold's featherweight body fell on his'.  
Quite dizzy from the sudden shock, none of them moved. Seconds later, the butterfly shook his head and, realizing in which awkward position they were, stood up.

"Are you alright, dear friend?", he asked, offering a hand to the puppet. 

"-I...guess...hey, where were you? I was worried."

"-Had a walk...or rather a flight. But I lost control of my wings...after a bunch of geese hit me."

"-Poor baby pigeon. Are you hurt? You fell quite badly."

"-No...I'm fine, thanks."

Shrignold smiled, relieved to have escaped the humans. No one had to ever know his misadventures.

"Well...the night's not over, so...I'm just gonna have some rest.", he shrugged.

He then walked away, but something held him back. As he turned around, his hairtennas perked up when he noticed he was still holding Manny's hand. The latter let him go with a giggle, and the butterfly absconded to Paige's old room, where he had the right to sleep.  
Sitting on his hammock, he held his head in his palms. What a disgrace! Why couldn't everyone, especially _her_ , forget about him and whoever he once was? But that was all in the past now. Even if someone had followed him all the way to the house, there wasn't a single risk they'd come any closer to the aery of the "monsters".  
Shrignold tried to think about something else.  
His head still had the feeling of Manny's chest pressed against it, or rather violently pushed by gravity. On the moment, when he was half-knocked-out from the fall, it had felt quite...nice. And his hand, where the puppet's fingers have left their pressure as well, was still warm. Never did Shrignold held a hand that warm...for he wasn't a hand-holding type. Slowly, he brought it to his heart pendant. No reaction.  
Relieved, Shrignold took his wingcape off, and drifted off to sleep. From downstairs came laughs and horrified screams about a movie's children murderer.  
Tomorrow, everyone would have forgotten.

\---

Paige slammed the newspaper on the table. Tony looked up at her, interrogative.

"Subconscious violence towards your uncaring father?", he asked.

"-Even. Worse.", she replied, pointing at the headlines. "I was out searching for Sunday breakfast...and I find this!"

Tony grabbed the paper: a local weekly. When he read the big title, his gears stopped ticking for half a second.

"Wh...what the...!?"

"-I know."

Alarmed by his rising voice, the puppets entered the kitchen, asking what was wrong. As an answer, the Clock showed them the first page.

"Terror in town: the Monsters are real.", Robin read out. "Saturday evening, one of the legendary antropomorphic monsters has been sighted in town, running after one of our citizens, causing mayhem among everyone present."

"-What? That can't be true!", Manny exclamated. "Both of you were here yesterday!"

"-That wasn't us!", Tony shouted. "Paige and I were both here all evening. I'm telling you, the Muppets are into this."

"-But they're not antropomorphic.", Harry noticed. "And we three have got nothing of monsters. That only leaves-"

"-The pesky bee!", Robin angered. "I knew it was him!"

"-But...no, Shrignold has been with me tonight."

"-Think about it, blue scalp. You quit our movie night way after we have last seen the pigeon. That left him plenty of time to do whatever disaster he pleases."

"-Don't you realize our secret is in danger!?", Tony shouted. "I don't care whether the butterfly did it or not, it's already too late!"

"-What is all that noise for? Can't sleep."

Everyone turned their heads to the butterfly who just entered, half-asleep. Paige took a step towards him, and grabbed him by the hairtennas.

"Where were you last night?", she asked threateningly. "Answer, quick!"

"-Come on, sweetheart, that's useless now. What has been done is done."

Mumbling rage words, she released the butterfly, who ran hiding in his room. The Notebook started to tear the newspaper to pieces, but Robin grabbed the article about the sighting of Shrignold.

"Many still think it was an illusion, or some creep like the sewers man. But they'll take more security measures to ensure no "monster" approaches them anymore. That includes guards, exorcists, and even...wait, that can't be true!"

Everyone stopped talking, and Robin showed them the article.

"They...they found it! They have finally found it!"

"-Found what? Come on, say what!"

The bird smiled.

"The way to turn transformed Concepts back into humans!"

\---

Paige tried to wake him up, but nothing could be done. Afterall, Tony was really prone to passing out. She lay down next to him, covering his heavy body with the bedsheets.  
Transformed Concepts, becoming humans again. Paige didn't know what it was like, to be human. Born and raised a Concept, without any other name than Sketchbook (she chose Paige as to emphase her rebellion), she never had two lives as Tony did. He always had been very elusive about it, and only answered with half-sentences such as "Wasn't much great" or "Not worth your time" when asked about it. But could he regret it? Were there times when, being nostalgic as any timepiece, he would remember his past, and want to go back, to meet his family, his friends from before, his epoch? Paige tried to imagine his old life as a human kid.  
That would deserve a drawing.  
Tony mumbled something, but didn't wake up. He had the right to feel shocked afterall. Kissing him on the nose, she wrapped an arm around him, and fell into a light sleep.  
Now he had the choice, what life would he choose?

\---

"Hey, Shrignold, can I talk to you?"

No answer from the closed door. Manny sighed.

"I know it isn't your fault...that had to happen someday. But if...you want to talk to me, well...we can, you know."

From the other side of the door, leaning against the hard wood, Shrignold tried not to cry. His memories had chosen a very bad time for coming up to the surface...and very few of them were enjoyable. To give himself some courage, he hummed the first notes of his song.

"If you don't want...that's fine too.", Manny kept on. "I'll be here for you whatever happens."

The butterfly smiled. That boy really was one of a kind. That'd be a shame to waste such a good company.  
The door opened. Manny, quite surprised, saw the pigeon wiping a tear out of his eye. To comfort him, he held him in his arms.

"That's all gonna be alright. Promise."

In his arms, Shrignold hadn't moved at all, as if he wasn't expecting that kind of move. But suddenly, he pushed Manny back.

"Please...please don't hug me."

The blue-haired puppet asked why not.

"I'm scared. Scared... _someone_ would disagree."

He pointed upwards. Manny giggled.

"So I guess Corny and Benny aren't very faithful to that someone."

It took a moment to Shrignold to think about it. Shrugging, he embraced the puppet, whose head was resting on his shoulder.  
On the moment, it felt way too nice to actually consider the danger of such a contact. Manny's arms were warm, and that was enough. Shrignold even forgot his worries about the woman in a black dress, Malcolm and his deadline.  
Actually, the latter was very hard to forget.

"Manny?", he asked, actually calling the puppet by his name.

"-Yes?"

"-Tell me...if you had only a few time left before...let's say, ceasing to be free, how would you spend it?"

Manny rose an eyebrow, wondering what kind of question that was. After a minute, he managed to find an answer.

"Well...I'd do things I like. I'd go visit my dad, play with my friends, do movie marathons...that sort of things."

"-Thank you."

Both of them smiled, a little awkwardly, before Shrignold hugged Manny again, this time more firmly.

"Could you...teach me about friendship?", the butterfly asked. "You're the only one I can count on, apparently."

This time, it took only a second to have an answer:

"Of course I'd love to."

Shrignold felt his mind at ease. At least, he had a friend on his side.  
On his chest, the heart pendant gleamed of a weak pink glow.


	4. Past and future

_Alonzo Hamilton's shop, a splenderful building on the main street of Florence, was the greatest clock factory of the region. From everywhere, people could come to procure themselves the most advanced and delicate models of watchclocks, pendulums and even pocket-watches, an unique kind of prototype. Sir Hamilton, the shopkeeper, was a grave man with an unconditional love of clocks. According to him, clockwork was the most perfect art existing. He could spend weeks working alone to produce some new wonderful kind of timepiece. Apart for his work, he was truly mysterious. No one really knew about his family or relatives, if it wasn't for the little boy._  
_Apprentice at Orlogi di Hamilton, Antonio Esposito was a rather shy and quiet kid, always following his master around, carrying plans and cogs from workshop to workshop, delivering packages to clients and staying late nights to clean the boutique. Some whispered about Antonio being Hamilton's bastard child, as he didn't seem to have any parents. But the boy's warm smile put no doubt about his kindness and good will, said to be the bright side of the clockshop. One comes in first for the watches, but comes back the day after for the child's company. That's mostly why Hamilton was keeping him, as his clients would always find a reason to come back._  
 _This day, however, saw the beginning of something way different._  
 _The third of January 1714, a rather cold afternoon, a wealthy Venezian noble came into the shop, and asked for the new model of pocket watch; at the time, only Sir Hamilton could craft these jewels of another world. The man asked Antonio to bring in the casket where the unique timepiece was kept, while he was discussing the price; alas, the boy stumbled upon a staircase, causing the precious watch to shatter into a thousand of pieces, right in front of the two men._  
 _All night, the boy felt the cruel boot of his master on his body. He had prayed it would make him die, instead of torturing him over and over. But, when sun rose over the town and Sir Hamilton let go of the whip, the apprentice was left with a choice: repair the watch in three days, or undergo the greatest shame and the worst rejection anyone could ever meet, for Antonio hadn't any secrets he could hide, followed by a sure death._  
 _Locked in a room, gravely injured, with all the pieces of the precious watch and some basic tools, Antonio spent his three days of delay trying to repair the jewel-embedded, finely chiseled, never-late watchclock. Without eating or sleeping, claiming his few time left wasn't worth it, suffering his wounds in silence, he did his best to fix the damage he had done. This situation was all his fault, and he knew it._  
 _As his many unsuccessful results kept on and on, the boy, worried for his life, started to lose part of his sanity. The deafening chimes of the clocks every hour led him to keep track of time at every moment, to spare his ears and mind. His eyes, after counting thousands of tiny gears and cogs over and over, comparing their sizes and number of teeth, gained a keen sense of detail. The pincers he had been given broke on the second day, thus his fingers, which he had to use to place the pieces, became thinner and delicate. His heartbeat synched with the mesmerizing movement of the clockwork. The bloody red trace of the whip across his face started to move._  
 _But finally, the impossible happened. At dusk, on the third day, the watch was repaired, as flawless and sparkly as before._  
 _Holding it in hand, Antonio listened to the regular ticking. The flawless slide of the needles. The shine of the sapphires. He grinned of satisfaction, laughed of pride._  
 _The door opened behind him. Hamilton, holding a candle, expressed a worry about Antonio's condition, and his acknowledgment of the accident. Never he had wanted to be so harsh with him, and even proposed to repair the watch himself. But, seeing it was already done, he approached to see the result. Admiratively, he put his hand on the boy's shoulder, who turned his head around. Hamilton screamed._  
 _His skin had turned blue. From his nose, two red time needles were darting out to his forehead._  
 _Antonio revealed a creepy smile, grabbed the piercing saw, and gouged out the man's eyes._

Tony woke up from his dream. Fluttering his eyes open, he tried to remember what had happened.

"Go back to sleep, dear.", Paige mumbled at his side. "Don't think about that butterfly."

"-Who said I could dream of the butterfly?", he answered drowsily, wrapping himself in the covers.

Tomorrow would be another day. Or was it today? He didn't want to know. Not at all.  
Who was he kidding, of course he wanted to know.  
He reached out to his coat's pocket, and pulled out a shiny, gleaming pocketwatch. Opening it, he glanced at the red needles trailing around in a supernatural light. 3:48am.

"I'd better wake up and prepare my next song."

And, by an habit developed with centuries, he kissed the watch, and smirked.

"Spero che tu marcisca all'inferno, il mio stronzo maestro."

\---

Flying above the hills, Shrignold wondered what would happen. There was no way this whole "humanization" case could end well, with everyone still a Concept. How could humans even pretend to crack an unbreakable bond, established since the beginning of life? No one, even the creators, could undo the magic of the Concepts. You can't unsew a puppet, just like you couldn't take life away from a sentient being.  
Sitting on a cloud, Shrignold searched his vest for a strange pendant: a small butterfly, captive from a piece of amber. Stroking it, thinking about how this little bug was precious for him, and how he has helped him getting through, he whispered soft words to it.

"Shrigis...be sure I'll never leave you. I already promised you, didn't I?"

The insect's life was kept by all the love of Shrignold for the one who saved him. Without this lepidopterian companion, all these years would have been worthless. Shrignold would have died out of loneliness on the first months.  
When he put the pendant back inside his shirt, his fingers felt the heart jewel. Hesitantly, he took it in hand.  
It wasn't shining the slightest. When the boy opened it, he found an empty photo frame and a little blue stone, which was gleaming of a faint azure sparkle. It was still working; the same as all the cultists'. There was no doubt possible, especially when all the information was sent to the Great Malcolm. Keeping the members' relationships in control was the least of a love cult; but only Shrignold hadn't got any yet. He sighed, closing the pendant.

"Let's think about a solution. We have only some weeks left before-"

"-Shrignold! Come, it's gonna get cold!"

The familiar voice came from below. Without anything else to do but thinking over and over, the butterfly jumped down the clouds, only fluttering his wings at the last second as usual.  
Outside the house, under the large tree, Manny had dressed a picnic carpet.

"I was waiting for you!", he smiled.

Shrignold sat down, wondering.

"What's all of that for?"

Manny chuckled.

"The others still blame you for...you know...revealing the secret. They won't let you in anymore, that's why I planned lunch for you and me. Friendship's also that: we do things together."

The "lunch" was composed of honey sandwiches, cooked vegetables and a fruit salad.

"Are you vegetarian?", Shrignold asked.

"-Not really. I just...don't have the heart to kill animals. How would you react if Benny was eaten with potatoes?"

The butterfly thought for a second while chewing an orange. Indeed that would be weird.  
They ate rather quietly, except for some basic conversation ("Isn't it exhausting to flap your wings all the time?" "-You get used to it."). There wasn't a noise coming from the house, not a bird in the sky. In the shadows of the oak tree, sharing their meal, they were alone.  
After several minutes of silence, Manny spoke up.

"Say, my friend... What are you risking, becoming a human again?"

Shrignold suddenly bursted in awful coughing; the question made him swallow the wrong way. Manny patted his back, helping him to get it out.

"I'm sorry! I...just wanted to know..."

"-That's...ah...fine."

The butterfly coughed a last time, spitting out some fruit. Manny helped him sitting up.

"Why would you even ask that?"

But the puppet didn't answer, instead looking at the heart pendant. Shrignold glanced down.  
It was shining pink. Manny was still holding the butterfly's hand.

"Heh...that's fun.", the blue-haired boy commented.

Shrignold had wanted to back away, but Manny kept holding his hand, this time stroking it slightly.

"Hey look, it reacts!"

The situation was way, way too awkward. Why _did_ it react? It didn't have to. The shine had not to appear when any contact occured! Instinctively, the butterfly retracted his hand.

"Listen...", he hesitated. "It was really nice, being with you, especially sharing some honey toasts. But... I have serious things to do. As a Concept, you know? I can't allow myself to stay idle. Love has to be spreaded."

Seeing the puppet's sad smile, he added in haste:

"But I can do something in return for that nice picnic, if you want."

Manny's eyes lit up.

"Can we...fly together, some day? I fear that...last time wasn't much of a fun promenade."

Shrignold thought about this possibility.

"I'm not sure I could do this, but...yeah, why not? Tomorrow, maybe. I'm quite tired right now."

"-That's fine. You sure deserve a nap."

The butterfly smiled, embracing Manny a last time before flying up to The Country Where Everything Was Lovely. Walking on the gravelish paths, he asked himself in what situation he just put himself.

"The day after tomorrow...I'll go back there."

\---

She had stared at the old photography so long, she actually thought it would burn her eyes. But there wasn't any mistakes possible. The weird creature with wings and antennas had to be him.

"Wendy, please stop that.", her husband said, taking the photo from her. "You know he's dead."

"-He _can't_ be.", she sighed. "I know it."

"-Come on, you know I'm right. That freak wouldn't have survived a single day out of town."

He sat next to her, and leaned in closer, ashamed.

"Not with this...disease."

Miss Wendy tried to calm herself down. It had to be an illusion...but at the same time, he seemed so real...so alive...

"He is dead. End of it."

On these words, he left her with her thoughts, going to clean the chimney. Wendy shrugged. There has to be something under it indeed...and she would find it.  
She grabbed the newspaper on the table. The monsters, referred to as "Homo allegorica" or "Concepts" by scientists, could be turned into humans with the help of a machine and some magical knowledge. Underneath the article was an announcement about the need of "volunteers" to test the machine, meaning Concepts.

"I will find you, my little boy.", Wendy muttered to herself. "I will find you and I will help you."

She looked through the window.

"And this time, you'll have to listen to me."

\---

 _The precious watch being his only possession, Antonio left Florence and his life. Nothing could stop him anymore. He decided to travel, to meet other clockmakers, and to use his talent to craft marvelous and imaginative timepieces. His body was slowly changing, under the influence of that sapphire watch; soon, his organs and muscles became copper gears, his blood became liquid quartz, that could convey his heart's vibrations. He noticed he wasn't aging as fast as he had wanted, and only after a hundred of years did he reach adulthood._  
_At the time, he decided to settle down in England for a while. He liked everything about this strange epoch, especially the clocks. To mark the transition, he shortened his name, and began his new life. He met lots of new people here, and learned to control his newlyfound time magic. He became a master of time. But soon, it got out of his hands._  
_They found him as he was ravaging an entire town, shortening everyone's timespan to fill his own. That was his only way to survive. Until they offered him a new place to live...and made him meet another Concept._  
 _Then his story began._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I hope you rot in hell, you bastard of a master."


	5. The Butterfly's Metamorphosis

Time kept passing, and even Tony couldn't stop it.  
All days were now the same. Shrignold would wake up, and lie in bed for a while, mind blank. His role was now pointless and his life, empty. He was going to die, why bother dressing up to sing idiotic songs about an imaginary eternal love if he couldn't find his'? His capewings, left to hang on a tree branch, were getting dusty and covered in faded sparkles.  
Sometimes Benny or Froggy would come and see him, but were faced with grumbled dismay words and heavy butterfly eyelids. Sometimes Shrignold would take a walk, only wearing shorts and a light jacket, and wander The Country Where Everything Is Lovely for a long while, thinking about nothing, only letting the wind whirl through his hair. The other Concepts had ceased to acknowledge his existence, the Muppets said it would pass soon, and the Puppets didn't know what to think. Only Manny, as friendly as he was towards the pigeon, did show actual worry for him.  
He would climb up to his cloud, talk with him, bring his meals and make sure he would eat them, and try to make him smile. Despite all the care he showed, all the help he provided, Shrignold didn't seem to react at all. He would stare in the void, without a word. Sometimes he would break into tears at a random moment, and Manny would wrap an arm around his shoulders, comforting him with nice words. But the torturing nature of Shrignold's sadness couldn't be stopped by some cuddles. He was doomed anyways, and the fact he couldn't do anything but waiting for that day, made him almost already dead.  
Although he did, even if he wouldn't show it, enjoy his company. When Manny cuddled him, even friendly, there was this weird feeling inside his chest, as if the many cracks in there were healing slowly. And sometimes, when Shrignold would check his heart pendant to pass the time, the usual friendship pink would be tainted with a deeper shade of red. It was discret, but present. There was no error possible. That made him realize something else.  
The next day, when Manny visited, and as usual patted his shoulder in a friendly manner, Shrignold lay his hand on the boy's without any explanation. Manny didn't try to push him back or say anything. They let their fingers touch without a word, without a glance, for an instant that seemed to be eternity. Did Tony just get sick, thus slowing down the time this much? It seemed so. None of them moved, staying in this position for hours, days, years maybe. There was nothing around them, nothing they were feeling but the light pressure on their fingers.  
Shrignold blinked, and slowly turned his head around to see him. His azure eyes were dim, as if veiled by a thin mist. His hand slightly tightened its grip. Then, slowly, Shrignold approached his face from Manny's, and put a gentle kiss on his forehead. His soft lips were barely touching the yellow felt skin, seeming to only stroke it; yet this gesture meant everything he could never have the courage to tell. His heart pendant gleamed of a shiny red glow for one second, before returning to its idle brightness when the butterfly ceased the peck.  
He then left his hand, and buried himself in a cocoon of blankets without a word. Manny took it as a "do not disturb", and left the room, still stunned by what he just had lived.  
Shrignold sighed. Some days left before the deadline.  
The next day, Manny took the usual cloud to the butterfly's place, a purple flower in hand, but didn't find him. After a long waiting, seeing he didn't come back, he decided to ask the others if they've seen the butterfly, to no avail. The cape wings and Concept suit had disappeared from the wardrobe.  
From that moment on, Manny started to worry for real. He searched the clouds, the forest, the large plains next to the house. Shrignold was nowhere to be found. The only place he hadn't been to was the path leading to the humans' village. But the pigeon wasn't that stupid, especially in times of Concept crisis.  
When he came back to Shrignold's, after a long search, he noticed the newspaper article on the wall. The one about the Normalifier.  
Worry suddenly became fear.

\---

Memories were precious, and this place had them all.  
Shrignold remembered how he first had found this place. He was only five at the time, and terribly lost. He had to spend the night in this cave, until his mother found him the next morning, hungry, dying of cold. He had been terrified at the thought of living the rest of his life there, all on his own.  
Years after, this fear did become real.  
Shrignold stroked the large stone blocking the path. Without any difficulty, he pushed it aside, revealing a small tunnel.

"Who knew butterflies had such ways of hiding.", he said to himself.

"-And who knew they talked to themselves."

Shrignold froze on the spot. This voice.

"So is this you, my son?", Miss Wendy asked.

No answer. But slowly, the butterfly breathed in. He had expected this scene, afterall. He had pictured it a thousand times in his head.

"There are only two people in the world to know the existence of this place. If you are one of them, the identity of the second should be obvious."

She squeaked. He could hear her stuttering breathing, as she ran to hug him; but a sudden leg thrust made Shrignold abscond, landing behind her with his butterfly agility.

"Do not attempt anything."

"-But...Michael...why would you-"

He silenced her with his hand.

"My name is Shrignold. Michael died long ago."

Even if his eyes were hidden by his hood in a dramatic stance, he could vizualise her face, her worried and questioning expression. Slowly, he took his hood off, and faced her.

"Mother."

She touched her hands to her gasping mouth. The blue skin, the hairtennas, the lack of any emotion in his eyes, were few among the elements that were creeping her out. But indeed, under this mask of alienation and strangeness, these were the traits of Michael.  
He made his way to her, limping slowly. A stone thrown on him at a young age had deformed his pace for good, but that didn't stop him as he walked to her, and took her in his arms. Despite his shortness, he could bury his face in her neck, and didn't stop himself from doing so.

"I missed you...so much."

He felt a warm, welcoming hand ruffling through his hair as he started to sob, crying over what he had done, crying over what he had become without her comforting presence.

"Hush...it's going to be fine, my boy...all fine..."

She wrapped her arms around her son, weirded out by the foreign texture of his skin, but reassured to finally have him at her side again.

"We'll go back home...and everything's going to be fine."

Shrignold smiled, a genuine and innocent smile, unlike those he used to bear to lure children into Malcolmism.

"And then we'll eat your sugar-glazed waffles?"

"-Of course, Michael. All the waffles you want."

She held his hand, and they walked together back to the village.  
Wendy grinned. After so many years...

\---

He barely had the time to grab his hat to hide his unusual blue hair, Manny was already gone, running to the human village. If his deduction was right, then Shrignold would be gone trying to return back to human state. Despite his fear, the boy hoped he wouldn't arrive too late.  
As he approached the border of the small town, he noticed the gathering of people in the streets, despite the fact today was no celebration. His worries became confirmed when he managed to make his way to the main square...and increased in horrorsome intensity.  
On the top of some stage was a fancy-looking machine, made of chrome-like steel and colorful wires, linked to a human-sized cage by lots of cables and copper wirings. A large control panel was taking a whole side of this huge complexion, right next to a brass smaller cage.  
And, in front of this demonic clockwork machinery, a creepy, old man in a scientist coat was talking into a microphone.

"And if we remove the abstract energy out of the item that holds all the dark feelings, the link is broken, and the monster becomes human again. This is as simple as it seems."

"-You sure it works?", someone in the mass asked.

The doctor chuckled creepily.

"Well, your question calls in for a demonstration, doesn't it?"

He gestured to someone in the crowd. Suddenly, everyone moved aside, gasping of terror. Pushed away, Manny couldn't see anymore what was happening, but the howls and the whistles of the mass, alomg with the scent of rotten tomatoes, made it clear that it wasn't someone they liked. He climbed on a reverbere, attempting to see what was happening. His heart suddenly froze when he recognized the boy that was climbing onto the stage, miserable-looking in human clothes. Next to him was a stern, straight-standing woman that shared many traits with Shrignold.

"Miss Wendy", the doctor continued, "has kindly accepted to let us test the Normalifier on her corrupted son Michael, who has finally returned from the wild and misery, to start again his life in the right path. Please applause for this brave woman who, after so many years, will soon finally reunite with her lost child, all thanks to my invention!"

People applaused, and Wendy waved to them. Next to her, Shrignold was...smiling? He did, indeed, seem happy to be there, despite being covered in tomato juice and scornful howls. But when he tried to hold his mother's hand, she slapped it, discretly but severely. Manny attempted to approach the stage, but the crowd was too thick for him to pass through.  
The creepy professor approached Shrignold, and suddenly snapped the amber necklace's string off his neck. The butterfly didn't even have the time to react, his most prized possession was gone. Manny had seen this necklace several times, and Shrignold seemed to really hold onto it.

"This, my friends, is the catalysor I talked about. Feelings of hatred and jealousy, the burden of an innocent boy! Is this acceptable?"

At the general "no!", the man placed the amber pendant in the smallest cage, and pressed some commands.  
Desperate enough, Manny started to made his way through the crowd with his elbows, pushing people out of his path, animated by a strange sense of danger. But then, he saw the butterfly entering the large cage, which ended locked up.

"SHRIGNOLD!", Manny called.

The blue boy heard his name being called, and turned his head around, scared; but when he finally saw Manny, it was too late.  
The professor had pulled the switch

\---

She had been so nice to him all along. They first came back to their old house, where she traded his colorful Concept clothing for plain black and white human clothes, saying they weren't appropriate. When he had looked at his reflection in the mirror, he almost did see the old Michael, older and with more hair. Hair that ended up being cut down to a short, prisoner-like hairstyle, among which his hairtennas were standing out like sunflowers in a grass field. While waiting for the normalification to erase them, Wendy held them back with hairgel. 

"You'll have to keep it short.", she said. "Only girls keep their hair so curly and long."

He shrugged. Afterall, he learned with Tony that fashion and customs were always changing with the time. Himself had worn for some time the emblematic 19th centuryish English locks, and damn was he good-looking.  
Then Wendy agreed to bake some of her delicious waffles. The secret was simple: when they were half-done, the waffles were dipped in hot caramel, and stayed tender inside while crispy outside, with just the needed sugar. But when he asked her if she could do them with honey instead, she hade made a weird face, as if she had swallowed a whole glass of lemon juice.

"I always did this way. Why should it change?"

Once again, he asked himself why she was saying that. Even Paige, who had her own art style, liked to change from time to time to experiment. And most of the time, it was still amazing.  
Eventually, she had wanted him to stop limping. And that's when the serious matters arrived.  
He had to walk in the long hallway, as flawlessly as he couldn't. Each time he had to lift his half-paralyzed leg, it was an horribe pain. He couldn't fold his knee properly without hurting himself, or resting his weight on this lame leg, yet Wendy would hit him each time he failed.

"But why?", he whined out after a last attempt. "I told you I can't change my way of walking."

"-You will. You have to change it."

"-But how can I?"

She slapped him again.

"I don't care, but you have been given two legs at birth, so you will use them both!"

She grabbed him by the shirt.

"And don't forget to smile."

He tried. Again, and again, he tried, always smiling, but failed. He did his best to please his mother, as he owed everything to her; but the more he tried to hide his pain, the more it was intense.  
Finally, she declared she was satisfied enough when he managed to cross the hallway at a normal pace, without a sign of pain on his face.

"Now you're worth something.", she declared.

If only she knew how hurt he was, maybe she would have excused herself...but she was seeing his pain indeed, without any reaction.  
Still...she was his mother, the woman that gave life to him.  
He had to deserve it.

"Now come. We have to be on time."

\---

They had thrown food, garbage at him, insulted and hoo-ed him, but he kept smiling. That's what she wanted.  
He had stolen his precious Shrigis, his intemporal companion, and locked him up in a brass cage, but he kept smiling. That was her desire.  
Now it was his turn to be locked in. He was scared, and barely had enough room for his ribcage to move, but he didn't complain. That was her will.  
But still...something had felt wrong all along. Something he couldn't describe. He turned his head around, managing to look at her.

"Mother...are you happy?", he asked.

She didn't reply at first, too busy waving at the crowd. He asked the question a few more times, until she finally decided to reply.

"Why shouldn't I be happy? The wedding's going to be alright now."

He gasped.

"W...wedding?"

She turned to him. 

"Yes, the wedding! Didn't you know that the marriage between you and Maria still has to be concluded?"

These words put him in such an angry embarassement. How could he have forgotten? The "pretty princess" and himself had to get married, according to the tradition that wanted parents to marry their children at a young age. Of course, he had nothing against Maria, as she deserved all the love one could give...but still, this couldn't be the only reason why Wendy had wanted to bring him back!  
The weird doctor was pressing some buttons on the control panel, and the cage holding Shrigis began to gleam of a golden light. The boy turned to his mother.

"What if I don't want to get married?", he questioned. 

"-That's not your concern."

This reply put him in a rage. 

"Not my concern!? But I don't want...to..."

He stopped. What if...she was right? What if this marriage was the only occasion to save himself he had been given? He had to get a wife within the month...if this marriage gets done quickly enough, then maybe it could save his life! Malcolm had never wanted to lose his most devoted follower, and thus had sent him an escape, so he could keep being with his friends and cult, and have a loveable spouse.  
Suddenly, the cage he was in started to shake. His thoughts stopped as he realized his situation; if he decided to lose himself to humankind again, then his life as a Concept, his place in the cult, it would all be over! The others had Shrignold as a friend, but Michael would never get accepted among them! And Manny...he would be so disappointed. Manny, always saying things about how everyone should be friends with each other, how love wasn't necessarily between two partners, but also three friends, a dad and his son...

"SHRIGNOLD!"

This sudden scream woke him up. The butterfly turned his head around, staring at the crowd, trying to see who called, and saw a bright blue scalp among the black clothed-people.  
His relief met heights he believed were unreachable when he recognized his friend, his confident...his crush. He wanted to call back, but the noise of the crowd made his voice soundless.Suddenly, Wendy grabbed the doctor by the shoulder.

"Turn this damn machine on!"

He nodded, and pulled the switch.  
Shrignold felt a tremendous wave of pain crossing his body, all at once. A shocking, violent pain, as of a lightning bolt's, coming straight into his head, ripping his brain apart. His heart was pounding, pounding so much he felt it would explode. On top of all, he felt sad. Depressed. Empty. As if a whole piece of him had been ripped off, as if his organs were missing, as if every single drop of his blood had left his body. And that pain, that horrible pain that would never leave his skull...  
A flash suddenly blinded him, and the crowd screamed. The pain ceased, soon replaced by a foul odor of smoke and grilled plastic. Shrignold felt the cage opening, and fell into a pair of cold, wet arms.

"We have to go. Quick!", Paige's voice muttered. 

Shrignold opened an eye, just enough to see the pair of scissors impaled into the console screen, drenched in a thick smoke. 

"Shri...gis...", he stuttered.

"-I got your necklace.", Tony's voice replied. "Now let's get away before they get us!"

The two Concepts made their way through the crowd, threatening people with sharp pencils and rapiers, until they were out of sight if the humans.

"Great, now they know we exist.", Paige commented.

"-At least they won't want to see what hides in that puppet house anymore."

Puppet house...puppet...Puppet!  
Shrignold suddenly woke up.

"Manny!"

Tony and Paige stopped.

"Where is Manny?", the butterfly asked.

"-I...don't know."

Shrignold escaped Paige's inky embrace, and attempted to run, only to get stopped by his lame leg. He flapped his arms, trying to get ahold of the wind...but nothing happened. Of course, he wasn't wearing his wings...but then, why did his body feel way heavier? He glanced at his hands, and almost screamed out.  
The light blue skin had turned white in parts. He touched his head; the hairtennas were gone.

"What do I look like?", he asked scarily to the others.

They gasped in shock, but did not respond, until Paige scribbled a mirror on her dress. What Shrignold saw made him lose his last ounces of calm.  
His face looked like a hasty patchwork of butterfly's and human's. One of his eyes remained strabismy and cerulean, the other was now brown and empty. His ears weren't pointy anymore and his thin body was now a distorted twig. 

"No...", he muttered in his breath. "No, it can't be possible, no!!"

His voice also was different now, too low-pitched and...human-sounding.  
But that wouldn't stop him from accomplishing his mission. He grabbed Shrigis from Tony's hands, and ran to the village.

"Wait! That's too dangerous!", Paige shouted.

"-I have to save him!"

Still around his neck, the heart pendant started to gleam red.

\---

When Shringeal arrived at the main square, it was already too late.  
The place was desert, covered in scattered debris coming from the machine. No noise but the constant sparkling of the broken screen was to be heard. Even pigeons, ordinarily so common, had left the surroundings, as if alerted by danger as much as the humanfly.  
It took him several minutes to search among the broken pieces of metal and wood spread around, but even with his heaviness and failure leg, he managed to found him.  
Manny was breathing with difficulty, having been struck during the explosion. A large piece of shrapnel had crossed his stomach, and blood was coming out of the wounds way too fast. Shringeal kneeled to his friend, and embraced him.

"Hey...Manny...", he called. "C...come on...you're joking, right?"

But the yellow puppet didn't reply. 

"Hey...come on now, playtime's over...heh...come...please...please tell me something...please...don't leave me..."

His hands were nervously shaking now. A tear dropped out of his eye, and landed on Manny's cheek...who slowly opened faint eyes.

"Sh..rig...", he stuttered.

"-Y...yes...I'm right here, my friend..."

"-Is...that you?"

The Puppet tried to raise his arm, but instead let his hand trail up to Shringeal's cheek, where it plucked another tear.

"You look...different..."

"-That doesn't matter. I'm still the same, I...I promise."

Slowly, he approached his head from Manny's, and let a gentle peck on his forehead.

"I'll bring you...back. I...I...I promise...!", he cried out.

"-That's...not a...Concept's death...you won't be...able to..."

"-I don't care!", Shringeal shouted. "You...you're my only friend, and I won't let you down! Even if it costs my life, I can give it to you without an hesitation! Because I...I..."

He sobbed. Manny smiled.

"...because I love you."

Another tear rolled down his human cheek, and fell on the ground. Heterochromatic eyes met golden ones, and stayed in this stare for long, tender instants.  
Slowly, the two boy's faces came closer. For the first, and most likely last time. They would never get the chance again, and both were doomed to die. So, in a last move, as desperate as it seemed, they sealed their lips together.  
Shringeal's heart calmed down, and his breathing eased. His mind felt relieved, relaxed, when his mouth met Manny's, kissing it with all the tenderness he could give, all the are he could provide, and the subtle touch of desire his subconscious imposed. Strangely enough, in his arms, the boy's body seemed to warm up as he kissed back, his hands taking a hold of Shrigneal's shoulder, whose body felt suddenly lighter. The blood on his hands dried off, the wounds under his fingers stitched back, and the tip of his tongue begged for entrance, which was accepted happily.  
When the two boys parted away, needing to breathe, they looked at each other, completely astonished.  
Manny had lost his paleness, and his wounds were fully healed.  
Shrignold had returned to his full Concept appearance, and had his clothes and wings back on. And a new Concept power. _True Love's Kiss._ His revival spell.

"Is everything alright?"

Paige, Robin, Tony and Harry rushed to them, hardly walking among the debris.

"We were so worried!" Robin said happily, hugging Manny with all her might.

"-Hey, Shriggy buddy, you're back to normal!"

"-What happened, guys?"

"-I don't know..."

"-MICHAEL JAMISON!"

Everyone suddenly turned to the source of the shout, and saw the black-dress lady.

"Michael...how dare you...how dare you disobeying me!"

Shrignold shivered when he saw the whip in her hand, and crawled back in fear as she stepped forwards. Suddenly, Manny blocked her way.

"If you harm any single strand of my friend's hair, you're gonna regret it!"

Miss Wendy cackled. 

"Oh, and who makes you thing a tiny little marionette like you could stop me from punishing my child?"

"-We do."

Tony, Paige and the other Puppets stood next to Manny, glaring at the woman with their most threatening eyes.

"My boyfriend can stop your heart from beating or your lungs from breathing, I can imagine millions of ways of torture, and these two can do bad things as well. Now leave the pesky bee alone."

"-Miss Notebook...please don't harm my mother!"

Shrignold, silent at first, stood between his friends and his mother.

"I won't let you hurt her!"

"-But...you know she's been a dick to you, right?"

"-She only wanted my well-being!"

Tony and Paige exchanged a confuse stare, then turned to the butterfly.

"Is she... _abusive_ with you?"

Shrignold shook his head.

"She's my mother, never she would do that!"

"-Young lady, I do not permit you to-"

Paige silenced Wendy with a ribbon of ink around her mouth, then faced the butterfly, calmly speaking. 

"Shrig's. I have spent my childhood with abusive parents, so I know what living with fucktards looks like. You can tell me everything."

Shrignold kept shaking his head in denial. Paige knelt to his height.

"The fact that your parents are so much of fuckers, they make you hate yourself, that's one thing. But if they deny the minimum care they owe you as parents, if they use love as a pressure mean, if they do bad things to you and the day after are all honey-sweet, then their actions are condemnable."

Shrignold stopped shaking, and looked up to her.

"I also had an abusive caretaker.", Tony followed. "Everyday, he was blackmailing me, using affection and material safety as ways to keep me under his control and do...very bad things to me." 

He shivered, his needles switching to 12:00.

"And worst was, I still thought of this man as a saint, as someone I owed everything to...while the truth was all the opposite."

Robin spoke up as well.

"I used to live with my aunt, but she kicked me out when she found out I identified as a girl. And even after, she turned my life into a living hell. I was thinking of suicide, and taking lots of antidepressants everyday...all because I wasn't how this chicken wanted me to be."

Harry patted her on the back, but didn't add anything personal. 

"If your mom is abusive, you don't have to live with her. That's all."

Shrignold looked at them all, one by one.

"Guys..."

An instant passed, filled with tension and silence, then he fell into their collective embrace. 

"I love you all!"

Manny and the Puppets laughed, and the Concepts smiled...before turning to the remains of the machine. 

"I'm sorry, Tony.", Paige sighed. "I knew you would have...wanted to turn back."

"-Nevermind. There would be no place for me in this epoch, anyways."

"-But there's a place for you in my heart. That's all that matters, right?"

"-You little siren~", he laughed while taking her for a mad dance. 

Between two cuddles, Shrignold looked at the happy couple, dancing among the metal debris. This vision made him smile, until Manny took his hand, and the red heart started to shine of a steady red glow.

"Does that mean we're meant to be together?", the Puppet asked. 

"-Maybe. Why not try to find out?"

They exchanged a glance. Smiling, they kissed again, this time with more passion, and the delicious feeling of Wendy, muted and unable to do anything but watch her only son reveal his closeted desires.  
Robin stared at Harry.

"Wanna kiss?"

"-No, thanks."

"-Good."

Manny parted their lips, held Shrignold's hand, and headed back to the house.

"We have a lot to do now. To catch up on these lost days of silent mourning."

Shrignold nodded...and suddenly froze. He counted on his fingers

"What's wrong?", Manny asked.

"-I just remembered...I have...one day left before my deadline!"

"-What's wrong?", Tony asked, following them.

Shrignold sighed, and explained everything. Malcolm, the dilemma, the impossible needed bond, and the marriage. The others listened to him with a worried expression, which became fearsome by the end of the story. 

"He won't force you to get married...right?", Robin asked.

"-Malcolm's a god, He can do everything He wants."

"-Then why don't you get married with Manny bro?"

Everyone turned to the red-haired dude.

"Hey, you love him, he loves you, special one thingy, get married and it's said and done."

Seeing Shrignold and Manny's questioning faces, he added:

"Y'know, nowadays marriage is a piece of paper. No big deal, put on a ring, kiss a little, sign a contract and that's done."

Shrignold seemed to think about it, lost in his thoughts, but finally, he spoke up. 

"Let's head back home, then."

\---

When the band made it back to the house, the Muppets were awaiting for them.

"Mister Shrignold!", said Hardy. "Today is your last chance to obey the will of our leader and guide! We can't-"

"-Cut it off, please. Can anyone officiate a marriage here?"

The Muppets looked at each other interrogatively.

"We...all have received from Malcolm the Great the ability to conclude a marriage, you know."

"-Have you found your special one?"

Shrignold nodded.

"Great news, my friend! Let's not waste time then. Where is she?"

Manny took a step forward, and held the butterfly's hand.

"I'm not really a she."

Benny, out of all the cultists, looked the most shocked.

"But...Shrignold! How can you...you..."

He sighed.

"Nevermind. You have been such a matchmaker, you surely know who's made for every person on Earth more than we do."

He put his hand on the butterfly's shoulder.

"Because you helped me a lot with Bonnie, I will help you today."

He then clapped his hands.  
Everyone suddenly found themselves in The Country Where Everything Is Lovely, sitting on cloudseats, everyone but Manny and Shrignold, holding hands in front of a stone altar. Benny took the priest's place, and began the procedure.

"We are reunited today in our home, under the almighty eye of Malcolm and the guidance of Becky and Joe, to celebrate the love, the faith, the-"

"-Quit it, we're going to snore!", Harry grumbled, to Benny's irritation.

"-...the faith of Shrignold Malcolm Lovebug and Manfred Gribbleston, by the sacred bond of marriage."

He turned to the latters.

"May I have the rings?"

Manny could have sworn he heard Shrignold mutter obscenities, as he frantically searched his pockets. But Tony saved him this searching time, by offering two finger-sized cogs from his spare gears' pocket.  
Manny took his', and ceremonially put it on Shrignold's finger, who was right about to do the same, when suddenly a tremendous voice resonated in everyone's heads.

Stop this imposture right now!

Someone in the assembly screamed, and pointed at the sky with a terrified expression. Gasps started to rise in volume as they all saw the gigantic face drawn in the smokey clouds by some incredible magic...and these burning eyes.

Shrignold, how dare you disobeying Me! I thought you were cured from this horrible disease of yours!

The voice was loud, horribly loud, but Shrignold had it directly in the ears, to a point it seemed to rip off his eardrums. But, where the Shrignold from one month ago would have knelt down and begged for pardon, the Shrignold from today kept standing up, and faced the monstruous visage. 

"You can't tell me what to do! I have found my special one, and I love him! Your threats won't change anything to the fact that the bond is present!"

WHAT!?

Shrignold looked at Manny, who was as scared as him, and smiled as he put the ring around his finger.  
The wind began to rise, and quickly turned into a strong storm that tore the pink clouds apart. The red skies darkened, the flowers faded away, and the terrifying face became a mass of smoke and burning fire ravaging the land, throwing its screams all around the assembly. But Shrignold didn't hold Manny's hands any less tight, and replied to his scared face by a warm, comforting smile. Benny being gone hiding in a corner, he breathed in, and pursued the ritual.

"Manny, do you want to take Shrignold as your lawfully wedded husband in the name of Malcolm and swear to love, to honor and to protect him until death does you part?"

Manny looked at him straight in the eyes, and tried to smile despite his fear, despite the screams.

"I...I do!"

Shrignold smiled, as the wind blazes became stronger and stronger.

"Shrignold, do you want to take Manny as your lawfully wedded husband in the name of Malcolm, and swear to love him, to honor him and to protect him until death does you part?", the Puppet asked.

"-Of course I do."

STOP THIS VILE PARODY RIGHT NOW, YOU HERETIC INSECT! STOP USING MY NAME FOR SUCH VILE GOALS!

"So...I now declare you husband and husband, in the name of Malcolm the Powerful and Great."

ENOUGH!!!

The smoke demon suddenly rushed to the two boys, spitting its fire all around, ready to kill them in one second, and cease this marriage as quick as it had started.

"You may now kiss the groom!", Shrignold hastily declared before taking Manny in his arms and kissing him like never before, right before the smoke face closed its jaws on them.

But the jaws never closed. Instead, the wind stopped. The clouds calmed down. The screams ceased. The sky cleared out. All around the place, the dark smoke vanished. And in the middle of the scene, kissing like if it was their last day alive, Manny and Shrignold were standing out, surrounded by a red aura, and wearing matching gold and blue suits.  
When they opened their eyes and parted away, they had a look around themselves. The improvised church in ruins now was an elegant, colorful cathedral-like castle room. The Concepts, the Puppets and the Muppets had magically traded their usual clothes for ceremonial outfits (and were really surprised by the sudden change). And the cloudseats, who used to have enough room for a dozen people, now were enough for the hundred of guests applausing and cheering for the newlyweds. Most of them were humans from the village, the former friends of Michael, but also Puppets and Concepts from all the nearby regions. And they were here to celebrate a marriage that, hours ago, seemed impossible and stupid.  
Manny tightened his grip on Shrignold's hand, not really sure about what had just happened. But a tender kiss in the neck reassured him quickly.

"Just a piece of paper, hmm?"

"-Do you know how much I love you?"

"-Let me guess."

He took off his heart necklace, and put it around both of their necks. The heart shane of a powerful red light, that trailed around the couple like a snake-like bird, bringing them closer together, and disappearing back into the heart.

"Hmm, you seem to kinda like me.", Shrignold joked.

"-Really? I thought it was only for one night."

Both of them laughed, until Paige called them to cut the impressive butterfly-shaped wedding cake.

"By the way...", Shrignold muttered into Manny's ear. "If you plan to have fun with me tonight, be aware I want to be on top."

"-Aw, come on, I'm sure you have nicer skills than that."

This sentence was worth a kiss on the nose. 

"Now we have the rest of our life to live together, we'll try that someday." 

"-I love you, my little pesky bee."

\---

Not far away from there, a young traveller was looking at a small cottage house from the top of a hill.

"So this is the house, right? Well, Gilbert, consider this your lucky day, tee-hee~"

Grabbing his luggage, he walked to the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: removed the reference...for the moment.  
> Her name was Leelah!


End file.
